ETS proficiency profile performance levels

ETS Proficiency Profile Performance Levels Individuals taking the ETS® Proficiency Profile are asked to demonstrate a wide variety of abilities across four skills — Mathematics, Writing, Reading and C[.]

score range, three performance levels can be earned.

Level 1 Proficiency (Total score range 430–449)

Individuals scoring in the Level 1 Proficiency range tend to demonstrate the following abilities:

Reading • Recognize factual material explicitly presented in a reading passage

• Understand the meaning of particular words or phrases in the context of a reading passage

Writing • Recognize agreement among basic grammatical elements (e.g., nouns, verbs, pronouns

and conjunctions)

• Recognize appropriate transition words

• Recognize incorrect word choice

• Order sentences in a paragraph

• Order elements in an outline

Mathematics • Solve word problems that would most likely be solved by arithmetic and do not involve

conversion of units or proportionality

• Solve problems involving the informal properties of numbers and operations including positive and negative numbers, whole numbers and fractions (including conversions of common fractions to percent)

• Solve problems requiring a general understanding of square roots and the squares

of numbers

• Solve a simple equation or substitute numbers into an algebraic expression

• Find information from a graph

Level 2 Proficiency (Total score range 450–470)

Individuals scoring in the Level 2 Proficiency range tend to demonstrate the following abilities:

Reading • Recognize factual material explicitly presented in a reading passage

• Understand the meaning of particular words or phrases in the context of a reading passage

• Synthesize material from different sections of a passage

• Recognize valid inferences derived from material in the passage

• Identify accurate summaries of a passage or of significant sections of the passage

• Understand and interpret figurative language

• Discern the main idea, purpose or focus of a passage or a significant portion of the passage

Individuals scoring in the Level 2 Proficiency range tend to demonstrate the following abilities:

Writing • Recognize agreement among basic grammatical elements (e.g., nouns, verbs, pronouns

and conjunctions)

• Recognize appropriate transition words

• Recognize incorrect word choice

• Order sentences in a paragraph

• Order elements in an outline

• Incorporate new material into a passage

• Recognize agreement among basic grammatical elements (e.g., nouns, verbs, pronouns and conjunctions) when these elements are complicated by intervening words

or phrases

• Combine simple clauses into single, more complex combinations

• Recast existing sentences into new syntactic combinations

Mathematics • Solve word problems that would most likely be solved by arithmetic and do not involve

conversion of units or proportionality

• Solve problems involving the informal properties of numbers and operations including positive and negative numbers, whole numbers and fractions (including conversions of common fractions to percent)

• Solve problems requiring a general understanding of square roots and the squares

of numbers

• Solve a simple equation or substitute numbers into an algebraic expression

• Find information from a graph

• Solve arithmetic problems with some complications, such as complex wording, maximizing or minimizing, and embedded ratios

• Simplify algebraic expressions, perform basic translations and draw conclusions from algebraic equations and inequalities

• Interpret a trend represented in a graph or choose a graph that reflects a trend

• Solve problems involving sets

Individuals scoring in the Level 3 Proficiency range tend to demonstrate the following abilities:

Reading • Recognize factual material explicitly presented in a reading passage

• Understand the meaning of particular words or phrases in the context of a reading passage

• Synthesize material from different sections of a passage

• Recognize valid inferences derived from material in the passage

• Identify accurate summaries of a passage or of significant sections of the passage

• Understand and interpret figurative language

• Discern the main idea, purpose or focus of a passage or a significant portion of the passage

Critical Thinking • Evaluate competing causal explanations

• Evaluate hypotheses for consistency with known facts

• Determine the relevance of information for evaluating an argument or conclusion

• Determine whether an artistic interpretation is supported by evidence contained

in a work

• Recognize the salient features or themes in a work of art

• Evaluate the appropriateness of procedures for investigating a question of causation

• Evaluate data for consistency with known facts, hypotheses or methods

• Recognize flaws and inconsistencies in an argument

Writing • Recognize agreement among basic grammatical elements (e.g., nouns, verbs, pronouns

and conjunctions)

• Recognize appropriate transition words

• Recognize incorrect word choice

• Order sentences in a paragraph

• Order elements in an outline

• Incorporate new material into a passage

• Recognize agreement among basic grammatical elements (e.g., nouns, verbs, pronouns and conjunctions) when these elements are complicated by intervening words

or phrases

• Combine simple clauses into single, more complex combinations

• Recast existing sentences into new syntactic combinations

Individuals scoring in the Level 3 Proficiency range tend to demonstrate the following abilities:

Mathematics • Solve word problems that would most likely be solved by arithmetic and do not involve

conversion of units or proportionality

• Solve problems involving the informal properties of numbers and operations including positive and negative numbers, whole numbers and fractions (including conversions of common fractions to percent)

• Solve problems requiring a general understanding of square roots and the squares of numbers

• Solve a simple equation or substitute numbers into an algebraic expression

• Find information from a graph

• Solve arithmetic problems with some complications, such as complex wording, maximizing or minimizing, and embedded ratios

• Simplify algebraic expressions, perform basic translations and draw conclusions from algebraic equations and inequalities

• Interpret a trend represented in a graph or choose a graph that reflects a trend

• Solve problems involving sets

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